FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – ARCH Inc.’s ‘Fun & Free Lecture Series’ is set to return for 2023.
The series will present five topics of interest to fans of our community’s built heritage at a new venue, Cinema Center’s Spectator Lounge in January through May.
The stately grandeur of the Neoclassical Masonic Temple on East Washington Boulevard stands as testimony of everything the Masons have been in Fort Wayne. Learn more about this building and its brethren when Connie Haas Zuber presents “Secret But Not Hidden: Fraternal Societies in Fort Wayne” for ARCH’s Fun & Free Lecture Series at 1 p.m. January 21 at Cinema Center’s Spectator Lounge. ARCH Photo.
Here’s the schedule:
· January 21: “Secret But Not Hidden: Fraternal Societies in Fort Wayne” by Connie Haas Zuber, ARCH’s executive director. We can trace the heritage of the many fraternal societies that have involved tens of thousands of Fort Wayne residents by remembering the places they called home, many of which made grand architectural statements about the aspirations and presence of the groups which built them. Peek into this rich and fascinating story by learning where these societies met and what we can say about who they were.
· February 18: “Roosevelt Barnes Sr. and the Ongoing Struggle Against Restrictive Racial Covenants” by Connie Haas Zuber, ARCH’s executive director. This year is the 75th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that racial covenants in real estate deeds could not be enforced and the 55th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, which made racial covenants illegal. The late Roosevelt Barnes Sr., contractor and homebuilder, is at the center of one of Fort Wayne’s important stories about the struggle against such covenants and other discriminatory practices.
· March 18: “Rediscovering Fort Wayne’s Irishtown” by Rob Stone. It’s thrilling to learn who lived in your historic house before you did. Imagine what you learn when you study a whole historic neighborhood’s heritage! That’s what Rob Stone has done and is sharing with today’s delighted residents — and with ARCH’s lecture guests. Where was Irishtown? Who lived there? Come find out! Then be ready to buy his book when it comes out later this year.
· April 15: “Mid-Century Modern in Fort Wayne” presented by Dodd Kattman, architect, principal at MKM architecture + design and immediate past ARCH president. This style is trending everywhere that trends thrive, but what is it, really, and where can you find it here in Fort Wayne?
· May 20: “Historic Downtown Hotels” presented by Karen Richards, a regular on ARCH’s lecture series and one of our most popular speakers. Fort Wayne’s downtown has a rich history of hotels, lavish and otherwise. Richards will tell their stories and share historic images that show what life was like back when …
All the lectures will begin at 1 p.m. in the Spectator Lounge at Cinema Center, 347 E. Berry St., Fort Wayne. Free parking is available across Clay Street. ARCH will record each lecture presentation and post the recordings on its website for people who are unable to attend.
